Hygenic douche system

ABSTRACT

A hygenic douche apparatus wherein a nozzle adapted for insertion into a vaginal passage and a cooperating fluid holding container are provided. The container includes a separate compartment therein to hold a compound which is soluble in a fluid such as water and, when dissolved, forms a hygienic douching fluid. The compound includes an ingredient which reacts with water to evolve a gas to pressurize the container and dispel the hygienic douching fluid through the nozzle. The compartment includes means operable from outside the container to initiate contact between the liquid and the compound. The apparatus is also adaptable to be used with an enema-type nozzle to provide a convenient readily dispensible enema and with a bidet nozzle to provide a convenient bidet apparatus.

United States Patent [191 Murray et a1.

[ 4] HYGENIC DOUCHE SYSTEM [76] lnventors: Jerome L. Murray, 652 First Ave.,

New York, NY. 10016; Frances R. Gardiner, 43 Park Rd., Sparta, NJ. 07871 Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Sept. 4, 1990, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Aug. 31, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 393,660

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No 231,336, March 2, 1972, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 197,848, Nov. 11, 1971, Pat. No. 3,756,230.

'[52] US. Cl, 128/225, 128/224 [51] Int. Cl A61m 3/00 [58] Field of Search 128/224, 225

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,163 7/1929 Bergl 128/224 2,691,548 10/1954 Feucht et al 128/225 X 2,716,984 Davis 128/225 9/1955 2,803,249 8/1957 Wilson et a1... lZS/ZZS 3,756,236 9/1973 Murray et al. 128/225 Primary Examiner-Aldrich F. Medbery Attorney, Agent, or FirmCurtis, Morris & Safford [57] ABSTRACT A hygenic douche apparatus wherein a nozzle adapted for insertion into a vaginal passage and a cooperating fluid holding container are provided. The container includes a separate compartment therein to hold a compound which is soluble in a fluid such as water and, when dissolved, forms a hygienic douching fluid. The compound includes an ingredient which reacts with water to evolve a gas to pressurize the container and dispel the hygienic douching fluid through the nozzle. The compartment includes means operable from outside the container to initiate contact between the liquid and the compound. The apparatus is also adaptable to be used with an enema-type nozzle to provide a convenient readily dispensible enema and with a bidet nozzle to provide a convenient bidet apparatus. Y

8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PAIENIEUNuv 12 I974 WUIOFS PATENTEDRUV 12 191 3.847; 149

FIG. 3

HYGENIC DOUCHE SYSTEM This application is a eontinuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 231,336, filed Mar. 2, 1972 which was a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 197,848, filed Nov. 11, 1971 and now US. Pat. No. 3,756,230.

The present invention relates to hygienic douche systems and more in particular to an improved hygienic douche wherein the douching fluid is ejected from a nozzle at a controlled pressure which is generated within the system itself.

It has been found that the ideal pressure from the douche nozzle for most effective and safe cleansing action during douching should be maintained below about 2 p.s.i. and most preferably about 1 to 1.5 p.s.i. Pressures in excess of this may cause harmful bacteria which may be present in the vaginal area to be flushed into the uterus and may increase the chance of infection. Too much pressure may also cause physical damage aswell. Consequently, it is recommended, when using the most popular type of douche apparatus, i.e., a bag to hold a douche solution with a tube leading from the bag to a nozzle, that the bag be held 'at shoulder height, approximately 23-24 inches from the nozzle. This results in a pressure head of about 1 p.s.i. However, it has been found, that due tothe inconvenience of holding the bag at shoulder height when using a device such as this, most users hang the bag from the most convenient place available, which for a bathroom would be a shower rod, and thus develop a pressure head at the nozzle in excess of 2 p.s.i.

Other types of douche apparatus utilize a collapsible bag which is manually compressed by the user to create sufficient pressure on the douche solution in the bag to eject the solution through the nozzle. With this type of apparatus, the same diffieulty is also encountered in that there is no control of the precise pressure which is developed and typically more than the desired 1 to 1.5 p.s.i. is developed by the user.

Similar problems are inherent in devices presently used to administer enemas in that enema administering devices also fail to provide any effective and safe method of controlling the pressure at which the enema solution leaves the enema nozzle.

In other types of douche apparatus, a pressurized container is utilized to eject the douche solution through a valve system leading to the ejection nozzle.

While such devices are less cumbersome to use, no provision is made to control the pressure to a safe level and the valving systems are needlessly complex and expensive to manufacture.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient, safe and effective apparatus which is adaptable to administer both douches and enemas.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to administer douches and enemas in which the release pressure of the douche or enema solution is carefully maintained at a safe and effective level.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to administer douches and enemas which is of simple andsturdy construction and ofa convenient size for storage and ready use.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to administer douches and enemas which is exceedingly simple to use and which does .not entail complicated or difficult procedures.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a hygienic douche apparatus to administer douches and which can be readily converted to a bidet apparatus by substituting a bidet nozzle for the douche nozzle.

These and other objects and advantages will be more readily apparent after consideration of the following specification and drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the nozzle in position and the apparatus in a ready to use position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the apparatus in an activated position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2',

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of an alternative bidet nozzle; and

FIGS. 79 are perspective views of various embodiments of the powder envelopes which may be utilized in the present invention.

With reference now to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, there-is shown the douche apparatus 10 of the present invention including an open top vessel or container 12, preferably of a molded plastic material, closed by a removable cap member 14. The container 12 includes a neck portion 16 which is open as at 18 and which is provided with an external screw thread form 20 (See FIG. 2) adaptd to cooperate with an intemal screw thread form 22 in the lower portion 24 of cap member 14.

The container 12 may be of any desired exterior shape for convenient storage and preferably includes a necked down portion 26 for easy grasping by the user. For the preferred embodiment of a douching or enema apparatus shown herein, dispenser container 12 may have an internal fluid capacity of approximately one pint although it is to be understood that any fluid capacity may also be provided if desired.

The cap member (See FIGS. 2 and 3) is also preferably of a molded plastic material and includes a top wall 28 which is integral with the depending lower portion 24 of cap member 14. The depending portion 24 is provided with an internal screw form 22, as noted above, to cooperate with the threaded portion of the neck of container 12. Thus, when the cap 14 is'threadably engaged on container 12,, the lower surface 30 of top wall 28 abuts against the upper edge 32 of container 12 to seal the open top of the container and form a fluid tight barrier to retain liquid within container 12.

A fluid passage 34 is provided through the cap member 14 and is defined by longitudinally oriented cylindrical bore segment 36 which intersects with a trans versely oriented cylindrical bore segment 38 communicating with a fluid exit port 40 in portion 24 of cap 14. Thus, fluid communication is provided between the exterior of the cap 14 and the interior of container 12.

In use, see FIGS. 2 and 3, the shank portion 42 of a douche nozzle 44 fits tightly within and is snugly retained in exit port 40 so that a continuous fluid passage is provided from the interior of container 12 through the fluid outlet port 40 and through the nozzle 44. Nozzle 44 is of cylindrical construction and includes a central longitudinal fluid passage 46 extending through the shank and into a closed rocended end portion 48. A circumferential groove 50 is provided near the end 48 which includes a plurality of outlet apertures 52 provided therein communicating with fluid passage 46 to allow douching solution to exit the nozzle.

To use the douche apparatus, cap 14 is removed from the container 12, nozzle 44 is inserted within outlet port 40 so that a continuous fluid passage is provided from the interior of container 12 to the fluid outlet apertures 52 in the end portion of the nozzle. The shank 42 of the nozzle is adapted to fit snugly within outlet port 40 and to be tightly retained therein to preclude leakage of fluid when the apparatus is in use.

After cap 14 is removed from container 12, the container is filled with a suitable liquid, such as water, and cap 14 is reassembled so that the water within con tainer 12 can react with a suitable compound which, when dissolved in water, provides an aqueous physiologically inert douche or enema solution. The compound also includes an effervescent ingredient to react with the water and generate a gas to pressurize the container to drive the fluid through the fluid passage within cap 14 and then through the nozzle 44 and out the fluid outlet apertures 52 therein.

Accordingly, a compound receiving chamber is provided which is initially sealed against the fluid within the container 12 but which can be selectively opened to allow the water within the container to react with the compound.

Thus, cap 14 is provided with a housing 60 below the underside of wall member 28 of cap member 14. Housing 60 may be of any cross-sectional configuration but for the embodiment shown herein is preferably circular in cross-section and includes a depending side wall 62 joined to an end wall 64. Walls 62 and 64 define an enclosure 66 which is open at one end as at 68.

A removable cover 70 is provided to snap over the open end 68 of chamber 60 to seal the end of the chamber when it is in place. Cover 70 is preferably of a pliable plastic material and is adapted to be manually placed over and removed from the open end of chamber 60.

Secured to the outer surface of end wall 64 is one end 72 of a rod member 74 which is slidably disposed with a sliding friction fit through a bore 76 centrally dis posed in top wall 28 of cap member 14. Rod 74 extends beyond the outer surface of top wall 28. A mushroom shaped actuator button 78 is fixed to the other end 80 of rod member 74 to provide a bearing surface convenient for a user to depress and slide rod 74 from the extended position shown in FIG. 2 to the depressed position shown in FIG. 3 where the underside 82 of button 78 bears against the outer surface of top wall 28.

As rod 74 moves from the position of FIG. 2 to the position of FIG. 3, end wall 64 of chamber 60 moves from a position of abutting sealing relationship against the lower surface 30 of cap member 14, see FIG. 2, to a position spaced from surface 30, see FIG. 3.

In the sealed position of FIG. 2 chamber 60 is cooperatively sealed from fluid communication with the interior of vessel 12 but in the position of FIG. 3, fluid communication is afforded through both ends of chamber 60, as will be described more fully hereinbelow.

Fixed to and extending from surface 30 of cap member 14 is a sealing member in the form of a circular shaped protuberance 84. Protuberance 84 is located radially within bore segment 36 and tits within a com- 4. plimentary sealing protuberance 86 extending upwardly from the outer surface of end wall 64 of housing 60. Thus with the apparatus in the position of FIG. 2 the protuberances 84 and 86 cooperate to form an effective fluid seal to preclude fluid entry from the interior of vessel 12 into chamber 66 defined by housing 60.

A plurality of access ports 88, see FIG. 5 as well, are provided through end wall 64 to afford fluid communication between the interior of vessel 12 and chamber 66. Thus when the button 78 is moved to the position of FIG. 3, the seal formed by protuberances 84 and 86 is broken and fluid communication is afforded into chamber 66 through access ports 88.

An additional path for fluid communication into chamber 66 is provided at the other end to insure complete and rapid flooding of chamber 66. To this end side wall 62 is provided with diametrically opposed indentations 90, see FIG. 4 as well, to accommodate a sealing rod 92 within each indentation 90 along substantially the full axial extent of housing 60.

The sealing rods 92 are fixed within wall member 28 of cap member 14 and the end 94 of each rod bottoms in a shoulder segment 96 formed by terminating indentation 90 short of the end 68 of side wall 62. A bore 98 is provided through shoulder segment 96 which is sealed against fluid flow when housing 60 is in the position of FIG. 2 by having the end 94 of sealing rod 92 bottoming against shoulder 96 and effectively sealing access bore 98.

However, as housing 60 moves to the position of FIG. 3, the rods 92 remain stationary and access bores 98 are uncovered to allow fluid communication between the interior of vessel 12 and chamber 66.

In FIG. 6, an alternative nozzle construction to use the apparatus as a bidet is shown. This nozzle 44 is also cylindrical, includes a longitudinal fluid passage 46 and fits tightly within and is snugly retained within outletport 40. Recessed from the free end of nozzle 44 is an end cap 47 provided with a plurality of fluid outlet apertures 52 which direct fluid exiting from the apparatus and nozzle 44' in an axial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle 44 so that the apparatus may be used as a bidet to cleanse exterior parts of the body.

According to the present invention, the ingredients which when dissolved in a liquid such as water to form an aqueous solution are packaged in an envelope and are premeasured to react with a predetermined quantity of water, for example one pint of water. Included in the ingredients within the envelope is an ingredient to provide a cleansing action for douching or for use as a bidet and, also, an ingredient to provide an effervescent effect to build up the internal pressure within container 12 to completely eject the volume of liquid in the container through the nozzle 44. Necessarily, this ingredient reieases a physiologically inert gas when reacted with water and the effervescent effect should preferably be sufficient to completely dispense the volume of water stored in container 12 and maintain between 1 to 1.5 psi. pressure.

While it is to be understood that many ingredients may be selected to provide the cleansing function for douching, it has been found that granulated sodium bicarbonate is particularly effective as a light douche solution and anhydrous citric acid when dissolved in water in the presence of sodium bicarbonate has been found to be particularly effective to provide the effervescent effect. For the illustration of the present invention described herein, where the volume of water within container 12 is approximately 1 pint, it has been found that the combination of ingredients made up in the ratio of about 2.94 grams of sodium bicarbonate to 3.68 grams of citric acid provides a desirable and effective douche solution which releases gas when reacted in water to fully dispense one pint of water at the desired pressure and have sufficient gas pressurization to provide a gas blow by after all the fluid has been ejected from the container.

It has also been found that to avoid problems associated with compacting the two ingredients into a single tablet or capsule and also to prolong the shelf life of the compounds to avoid the propensity of the sodium bicarbonate to absorb moisture from the citric acid, it is best to segregate the sodium bicarbonate from the citric acid. Accordingly, the envelope package containing the ingredients is provided with means to segregate one compound from the other.

Also, in order to maximize the speed of the reaction and completely dissolve thesodium bicarbonate and the citric acid means must be provided to ensure rapid and complete contact of the ingredients by the water within container 12.

With reference to FIG. 7, wherein there is shown one embodiment of the packaged envelope for the ingredients of the present invention, it is seen that the envelope 100 comprises three panels 102, 104 and 106 of a paper membrane, for example tea bag paper such as 9% Berkshire heat-sealed paper, grade 1069 made by Kimberly-Clark, or the like, which are heat sealed around a substantial portion of the perimeter, as at 108, to form a pouch having two compartments 110 and 112. One of the ingredients, such as sodium bicarbonate, is placed in one pouch 110 and the other ingredient, such as citric acid, is placed in the other pouch 112 and the open side 114 of the envelope is then closed, for example with a water soluble cement, to form the completed partitioned envelope which may be suitably packaged with a number of prepared envelopes for use.

An important factor in controlling the speed of the reaction and the maximum pressure attainable to dispel the liquid is to control the rate of contact between the ingredients and the water when chamber 66 is open to liquid communication. In the embodiment described hereinabove such control is accomplished by limiting the size of opening in side 114 of envelope 100. Thus, the size of the opening is selected to allow for a controlled reaction rate between the ingredients and the water so as to avoid immediate total contact between the ingredients and the water yet provide sufficient contact to sustain a controlled rate of reaction.

An additional factor to be considered is that the preferred membrane for envelope 100, i.e., tea bag paper, has the property of being initially water porous but once wet the paper resists water flow therethrough Hence, upon contact of envelope 100 by the water there is an initial flow of water through the membrane to initiate the reaction but after the membrane is completely wetted substantially all contact between the ingredients within envelope 100 and the water occurs through the open side 114 of the envelope after the water soluble bond has dissolved to permit the envelope to open.

As noted above to use the apparatus of the present invention, cap 14 is removed from container 12 and the container filled with water. The nozzle 44 is inserted within the outlet port 40, the housing 60 is positioned as shown in FIG. 2 to preclude fluid flow to the interior chamber 66, end cap is removed from its snapped position over housing 60, an envelope with the ingredients in separate compartments and 112 is placed in chamber 66 and end cap 70 placed thereover to ensure a fluid tight seal. Screw cap 14 is then engaged over container 12 and the apparatus is ready for use. No reaction occurs until actuating button 78 is depressed to move housing 60 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3 to allow water from within container 12 to enter chamber 66.

The water upon contacting the ingredients within envelope 100 through the porous membrane begins to react to evolve carbon dioxide. Water contacting envelope 100 also dissolves the cement bond along side 114 of the envelope and the gas pressure building up within the envelope opens the mouth of the envelope to allow more intimate and full contact with the water which is now completely flooding chamber 66 to ensure complete dissolving of both the sodium bicarbonate and the citric acid to maximize the efficiency of the reaction and ensure that the liquid within container 12 is com pletely dispensed.

With reference now to FIG. 8, an alternate construction for the envelope 100a is shown. Construction of the envelope 100a is similar to the envelope 100 shown in FIG. 7 in that three porous membrane panels 102a, 104a and 106a are joined to form separate compartments 1 10a and 112a and after the compound is placed in the respective compartments the three panels are joined by a heat seal 108a around their periphery. In order to ensure sufficient intimate contact between the powdered ingredients and the water the membranes 102a and 106a are perforated with a plurality of small perforations 116. The perforations 116 are sufficiently small so that the powdered ingredients within the envelope 100a are contained within the envelope but are sufficiently large to ensure adequate water penetration to the interior of the envelope to completely react with the ingredients and to allow flow of liquid through the membrane.

With reference now to FIG. 9-an alternate embodiment is shown wherein the envelope l00b comprises separate pouches 120 and 122 to'provide compartments 1110b and 112b for the ingredients. Pouches 100 and 122 may be joined along a common panel, as at 124, and one of the separate pouches 122 is provided with an extending flap member 126 which is folded over the adjacent pouch 120 and bonded thereto by a small dab of water soluble cement 128. Thus, when the envelope 10% comes in contact with water, the initial contact of the water with the ingredients in pouches ll0b and l12b releases sufficient gas to open the flap 126 after the dab of water soluble cement 128 has been dissolved. With flap 126 forced open by the escaping gas, intimate contact of the liquid with the powdered ingredients within the envelope 10% is assured.

The present invention provides an apparatus to administer a hygienic douche, bidet or enema in a manner which is safe and simple and wherein the pressurization of the douche or enema solution can be controlled below a predetermined maximum level without requiring any attention or control of the user. In addition, the

apparatus is convenient to use in that the apparatus may be prepared for use by enclosing a package of ingredients in a sealed chamber and no reaction occurs until the user activates the apparatus. Once activated the'reaction proceeds rapidly and the full contents of the liquid container are dispelled without requiring any complicated valving or control by the user.

While a preferred embodiment has been described I herein in which an ingredient such as sodium bicarbonate to perform the cleansing function is included as part of the ingredients to be utilized in chamber 66 it is expressly understood that the cleansingingredient could be omitted from the ingredients utilized in chamber 66 and a liquid solution of sodium bicarbonate or any other suitable physiologically inert solution may be added as a solution to container 12. In that event only one ingredient such as citric acid need be provided in chamber 66 to pressurize the container once contacted by the water to dispel the solution.

Additionally, as noted above, the rate of the reaction to dispel the liquid contents completely from container 12 and the maximum pressurization attainable are dependent upon several factors. A primary factor is the rate at which the liquid contacts and dissolves the pow dered ingredients. This can be controlled by use of a membrane envelope which allows for a controlled rate of contact between the liquid and the powdered ingredients as described above, or alternatively, could be controlled by limiting the liquid flow path into chamber 66.

ln this alternative method the size and number of the fluid access ports into chamber 66 are limited so that water floods chamber 66 to react with the ingredients at a controlled rate. Since the rate of liquid flow into chamber 66 is limited the ingredients need not be in an envelope but may be placed within chamber 66 in loose form, for example by emptying a premeasuredpacket of ingredients into the chamber. Thus, the ingredients may be packaged in a moisture resistant package and emptied into chamber 66 prior to use.

it is thus seen that an effective apparatus for administering a douche, enema or for use as a bidet has been provided which is extremely convenient and safe to use. The convenience is apparent as the device could be used in a shower or bath and the safety is assured as the maximum pressure build up is readily controlled.

What is claimed is: v 1. A hygienic douche apparatus comprising:

a container open at one end adapted to hold a quantity of liquid, a closure member for sealing said open end of said container, means defining a chamber within said container when said closure member is in sealing relationship on said container comprising a housing slidably disposed with respect to said closure member and movable between a first sealed position and an unsealed second position, said chamber adapted to hold a predetermined quantity of a compound capable of generating gas pressure to dispel completely the said quantity of liquid from said container when said compound is contacted by said liquid, means cooperable with said housingfor scaling said chamber to preclude liquid contacting said compound in said chamber comprising cooperable means on said closure and said housing to effecmove said housing from said first position to said second position to cause liquid within said container to enter said chamber and to contact said compound and generate sufficient gas pressure within said container to dispel the quantity ofliquid from said container, and means affording fluid communication between the interior of said container and the exterior for the passage of said quantity of liquid from said container after said compound is contacted by said liquid. 2. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a plurality of fluid access ports in one wall therein, said access ports oriented within said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber whereby said access ports are sealed against fluid flow when said housing is in said first position.

3. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber comprises a continuous protuberance extending from one wall of said housing to seal ingly engage a mating protuberance extending from said closure member when said housing is in said first position.

4. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means operable from the exterior of said chamber to move said housing from said first position to said second position comprises a rod member fixed to said housing and slidably disposed through said closure member and extending beyond said closure member whereby the end of said rod member may be depressed to move said housing from said first position to said second position.

5. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim I wherein said housing includes means forming a shoulder thereon, an aperture disposed through said shoulder and said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber comprises a fixed sealing rod extending from said closure member having its end disposed in sealing relationship on said shoulder over said aperture when said housing is in said first position whereby when said housing is moved to said second position said aperture is open to allow fluid communication into said chamber.

6. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is open at one end and is provided with a removable end cap member to afford access to said chamber when said end cap is removed to place said compound therein and to effectively seal said housing open end against fluid communication between the interior and exterior of said chamber when said cap is placed thereon.

7. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said compound comprises a first ingredient soluble in water to form a physiologically inert cleansing solution and a second ingredient soluble in water which generates a gas as it dissolves in a liquid in the presence of said first ingredient and wherein said first and second ingredients are packaged in predetermined quantities in a liquid-porous envelope and said envelope is sealed within said chamber to preclude contact of said envelope by said liquid prior to activation of said apparatus.

8. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said envelope is provided with means to segregate said first ingredient from said second ingredient to preclude intermixing of said ingredients. 

1. A hygienic douche apparatus comprising: a container open at one end adapted to hold a quantity of liquid, a closure member for sealing said open end of said container, means defining a chamber within said container when said closure member is in sealing relationship on said container comprising a housing slidably disposed with respect to said closure member and movable between a first sealed position and an unsealed second position, said chamber adapted to hold a predetermined quantity of a compound capable of generating gas pressure to dispel completely the said quantity of liquid from said container when said compound is contacted by said liquid, means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber to preclude liquid contacting said compound in said chamber comprising cooperable means on said closure and said housing to effectively seal said chamber when said housing is in said first position, means operable from the exterior of said chamber to move said housing from said first position to said second position to cause liquid within said container to enter said chamber and to contact said compound and generate sufficient gas pressure within said container to dispel the quantity of liquid from said container, and means affording fluid communication between the interior of said container and the exterior for the passage of said quantity of liquid from said container after said compound is contacted by said liquid.
 2. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a plurality of fluid access ports in one wall therein, said access ports oriented within said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber whereby said access ports are sealed against fluid flow when said housing is in said first position.
 3. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber comprises a continuous protuberance extending from one wall of said housing to sealingly engage a mating protuberance extending from said closure member when said housing is in said first position.
 4. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means operable from the exterior of said chamber to move said housing from said first position to said second position comprises a rod member fixed to said housing and slidably disposed through said closure member and extending beyond said closure member whereby the end of said rod member may be depressed to move said housing from said first position to said second position.
 5. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes means forming a shoulder thereon, an aperture disposed through said shoulder and said means cooperable with said housing for sealing said chamber comprises a fixed sealing rod extending from said closure member having its end disposed in sealing relationship on said shoulder over said aperture when said housing is in said first position whereby when said housing is moved to said second position said aperture is open to allow fluid communication into said chamber.
 6. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing is open at one end and is provided with a removable end cap member to afford access to said chamber when said end cap is removed to place said compound therein and to effectively seal said housing open end against fluid communication between the interior and exteriOr of said chamber when said cap is placed thereon.
 7. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said compound comprises a first ingredient soluble in water to form a physiologically inert cleansing solution and a second ingredient soluble in water which generates a gas as it dissolves in a liquid in the presence of said first ingredient and wherein said first and second ingredients are packaged in predetermined quantities in a liquid-porous envelope and said envelope is sealed within said chamber to preclude contact of said envelope by said liquid prior to activation of said apparatus.
 8. A hygienic douche apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said envelope is provided with means to segregate said first ingredient from said second ingredient to preclude intermixing of said ingredients. 